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Category Archives: Trailblazers

The clock on Greg Oden’s uncertain future with the Trail Blazers officially started ticking Monday.

The Dallas Mavericks’ championship victory Sunday night triggered the
start of a deadline for the Blazers to tender an $8.8 million qualifying
offer to the soon-to-be free agent center. The Blazers, who did not
extend an offer Monday, have until June 30 to do so.

Assuming they do — and the Blazers have given indications they will —
Oden will become a restricted free agent on July 1, which means the
Blazers will have the upperhand in resigning the former No. 1 overall
draft pick who’s brief NBA career has been marred by injuries and
surgeries.

The Trail Blazers plan to sign center Steven Hill to a training camp
contract in an effort to fortify their injury-depleted frontcourt,
according to a source close to the situation.

The 7-foot Hill, who played on the Blazers’ summer league team in 2008
and briefly with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2008-09 season,
was traveling to Portland Sunday afternoon and the parties were
optimistic that Hill would be available to play Monday night, when the
Blazers host the Utah Jazz in a preseason game.

About a week or so ago, reports surfaced that Portland is interested in
Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets vice president of basketball operations,
becoming its next general manager.

Currently, Kevin Pritchard is the Trail Blazers’ general manager. But
after team president Tom Penn was recently fired, Warren Legarie — agent
for Miller and Pritchard — openly wondered if his other Trail Blazers
client was next.

Might be a good time for Kevin Pritchard to wipe his computer hard
drive clean. And he should probably get a second cellular telephone for
non-business calls, and also, be careful who he talks to about his
future as the Trail Blazers general manager.

I don’t think there’s any question Portland needs another big man,
preferably a power forward but possibly a backup center. And to get
one, you have to give up something.

Multiple sources in the NBA have told me that Jerryd Bayless seems to
be the most available player on Portland’s roster. A couple of sources
indicated over the weekend that Bayless has asked the team to trade
him, because of his lack of playing time. I wouldn’t blame him — young
players want, and need, to play. And if he wants out, the team should
try to accommodate him.

That third one is how many here are viewing Portland’s dysfunctional season.

Yes, the Trail Blazers have been hurt by injuries. And, yes, they’re
still a very young team. But Portland did go 54-28 last season to tie
Denver at the top of the Northwest Division (the Nuggets won the
tiebreaker for the right to hoist a banner). And even more was expected
this season out of the Trail Blazers.